Herbmiester

I want to get rid of the wood trim on my E46 330ci, I have used carbon wrap on the dash and gear lever console but the doors are harder to wrap. So I be keen on a complete setup in Silver or Cubic or a set of arm rests in black or cubic or even silver if you have them. Oh and a black or silver automatic gear knob as well.

I have a set of new Eibach E46 pro line springs I can trade or cash whichever suits.

Yes there is a DISA valve on the M52tu

After getting the Budget 330ci engine leaks fixed, Vanos seals done, water pump replaced PCV, VAnos line etc, I decided to check the DISA; it was toast. The flap just spun but the vacuum was still fine so it was a candidate for repair rather than replacement. I bought this kit from England as its a better quality kit than some of the budget ones and postage ex England is a lot cheaper than the USA.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161027574098?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

It took about an hour to do, remove the airbox and then use a Torx 40 to get the DISA out. Replacing the flap was straightforward and this page shows you how, much more comprehensive than I could post.

https://www.germanautosolutions.com/diy_tech/disa_repair_kit/m54_disa_kit_diy.php

Idle is a bit smoother and throttle response seems a bit sharper as well especially in the mid range. It would appear that if you have a higher mileage M54 motor then your DISA is probably on its way out. The scary thing is that when they start failing a small pin in the flap can come out and may eventually work its way into the engine. When I took my DISA out the pin was nearly all the way out.

I need 2 x 8.5 inch (rear) Style 68 rims, can part trade some 7.5 style 68s back with good Pirelli P Zero tyres.

Yes I take your point re the tyres but at only 245 up front it's not not like the 315's on the front of the new Mustang GT350r, plus I figure an increase in mechanical grip is a fair tradeoff for a possibly slightly slower feel. The e46 rack is already quite quick and more responsive than the rack in my e36. The Caster is 7.6 degrees, I think this is about the same as an M3. BTW my road is a lot like an Autocross circuit

I managed a good drive through the valley and at higher speeds the understeer is less noticeable, turn in is sharp and it's now very easy to place the car where you want it. Can't say enough about the Ohlins ability to keep the car on line over bumps, seriously good dampers. I am going to try running the front bar on the less aggressive setting which will effectively make it act like a smaller diameter bar. After discussing the non staggered setup with a chap on the US E46 forums I am keen to run an 245 setup on the front. He is an autocross competitor with a few titles and is a big believer in plenty of tyre up front. I checked my camber setting and I have 1.8 degrees up front so will leave it as is but look to go zero toe on the front as It should be quite stable with the extra caster it now has. The rear is setup as per factory M3 settings. I will look at this again when I change the RTAB's.

The big change since the suspension, bush bar upgrade is just how easy it is to place on the road and how solid it is when actually in the corner. Its also surprising that even when you think you can't get the nose to tuck in any further it actually will especially at medium or above speeds with a bit of power down. Not bad considering the moderate power output of the M54.

Both the the Pirellis and the Goodyears will be gone by the end of summer so will look at putting some money into decent replacement rubber. That being said grip on the Goodyears is ok but at least they seem progressive when they start letting go.

I bought a 2003 330ci cheap and while it was basically sound it did have a few issues not the least was the worn suspension. As I drive a a very windy road twice a day (Whitemans Valley Upper Hutt) I have become somewhat enamoured with cars that corner well and after a few cars E60, STI XR6 turbo and a gaggle of E36's I think my E46 might be the best yet. Off the forums I bought some Ohlins coilovers and Eibach sway bars (27 f 21 r )and I have fitted offset Super Pro FCAB's for more castor. The rear bushes have not been done and I can feel a bit movement mid corner so I will do them next week.

The front have strut tower reinforcement plates and the rear shocks have reinforcement plates on the top as well. I also have an Ultra racing strut tower brace. Wheels are Style 68's staggered with Pirelli PZero 225 45 17's on the front and Goodyear Eagle F1 245 40 17's on the rear. Ride height sees the rear tyres just on/under the lip of wheel arch, with the front being 15mm below the guard lip.

As I got it the car was sloppy but you could tell the chassis had something to offer and compared to the E36's I much preferred the steering. When I fitted the Style 68's rear grip improved but the car now under steered a bit. THe Ohlins didn't change this but made control in the corners very reassuring, Medium sized bumps just get eaten up without deflecting the car and only really big bumps cause any issues. The ride is firm but perfectly acceptable for me. The damping was initially set in the middle of the range but on the back there is a little bit of bobbing so more rebound damping will be dialed in which is very easy on the Ohlins. The sway bars made a huge difference and I suspect that the rear bar being 21mm has helped tame some of the understeer.

I would still like to get a little more front end grip so will look for a set of rear style 68s (8.5 inch) and run 245's all round, I am toying with removing the strut top locating tab to get a bit more camber and setting the toe at zero to help reduce the tyre wear that camber and toe create. All in all I can see why the E46 was such a benchmark for handling in its day and subjectively It feels a bit more connected than the E90 335i Msport I drove recently.

2jzgte?

I have been driving it with no flap and so far no problems but I suspect there is an air leak as the seals and the fit of the shaft in the hole is loose.

Hi I need a new DISA valve or repair kit for my 2002 330Ci , the vacuum still works but the flap is toast. let me know if you have a replacement or a repair kit for sale.

So I got my E46 330ci back from the mechanic after getting a number of oil leaks fixed but it was throwing fault codes so I plugged in my OBD2 reader and found out it was all related to the ICV I pulled off the ICV and found out that it wasn't actually connected correctly :banghead: , I cleaned it anyway and while I was there I checked the DISA and lo and behold the flap was just spinning. The vacuum seems ok so may just have fix the flap. Since the flap pin was just about falling out I removed it and the flap. I reassembled it without the flap but got faults relating to lean condition. I need either a replacement DISA or a kit. Any suggestions?

Try Kiwi RAce CArs in Upper hutt, Colin is a very good fabricator.

Easy on the Coupe drivers

Pictures?

Friend of a friend just bought an NZ new E46 M3 110 kms for 20k.

MCm is pretty good entertainment, they actually make some of their junk go fast. As to RK, I love it, the episode with the leaf blowers is gold. HR garage is also good and powerblock TV is worth a watch especially if you like engine builds.

Well whatever you do make sure you tell us how. No objections to a 2JZ, awesome motor.

So I cheated and took the car in for work (the shame the shame) anyway new valve cover gasket, new Vanos line, Vanos rebuilt, PCV replaced, oil filter housing seals done, new expansion tank, new water pump, new oil level sensor and I had him install the poly FCAB bushes as it's just easier when on a hoist. When I pick it up tomorrow I will do the rear Ohlins and springs and then the Eibach sway bars. Roll on summer for some weekend cruises over to the Wairarapa.

Handy thanks.

Or I can look into the headers with a plumbers camera, I can swap beer money for headers?

Those so called two valve clunkers I built made more power than any N/A bmw six and replacing the M50/52/54 with LS motors is popular in the US as the HP per Dollar equation is better than a modded m54. Unlike many emotive types I try not to to use worn cliches when looking at engines. Every engine has strengths and weaknesses and the Chevrolet V8 in its various guises has positives and negatives, with the two big positives being reliability and the ability to make big horsepower from a physically small package.

The principles that relate to exhausts are the same whether they come from a single exhaust valve or two. Thanks Ron but I am after discussion on what can be done not what you haven't done and don't like.

Having built Chev V8s for drag racing in the 80's and 90's I became aware of the adage how much horsepower can you afford. I also learned that on my LS1 that a set of tuned length headers only gave me 11 horsepower over the standard manifolds. Now having looked at both the above headers the M52 is definitely far less constricted and as It allows me to remove the cats as well I suspect there will be an advantage and I can do it for less than $100 (Parts) while a decent tuned length exhaust will set me back closer to $1000.

So while I am well aware of the principles involved in long equal length primaries I am on a budget and the E46 is just a stop gap until the M3/335i/911 choice is made. So the question remains has anyone done this?

To be fair if I was looking for ultimate power production I wouldn't have bought an M54, what I am interested in is has anyone done and what issues did you come up against.

I think there is a fix for that, the Yanks get around it when they fit headers to their E46's.

I have read that on a M52 the standard headers above flow very well compared to S50 headers up to about 6500 rpm. Now that's all my M54b30 revs to so they could be a good option.